Michael Flynn wants donations for his Trump-Russia legal defense

Michael Flynn wants American citizens to pay for his defense in the Trump-Russia investigations.

Flynn, who served as President Trump’s national security adviser for 24 days, on Monday morning tweeted a webpage asking for donations to cover his legal fees while he is at the center of the probes into the Trump campaign’s suspected Russian collusion.

“We deeply appreciate the support of family and friends across this nation who have touched our lives,” Flynn wrote in a tweet promoting the “Michael T. Flynn Legal Defense Fund.” It was his first tweet since December 2016.

The page asks for PayPal donations to cover “the tremendous costs of legal representation” for the retired U.S. Army general.

“The costs of legal representation associated with responding to the multiple investigations that have arisen in the wake of the 2016 election place a great burden on Mike and his family,” the page says.

“They are deeply grateful for considering a donation to help pay expenses relating to his legal representation.”

Flynn resigned from his White House position after reports revealed he had undisclosed conversations with a Russian ambassador in December 2016 — a fact that is never mentioned on the webpage.

Since then, Flynn has been a focus of the federal criminal probe into Trump’s campaign, which is being led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller. Several congressional committees are also looking into Flynn in their own investigations into Russia’s election meddling.

Flynn has come under scrutiny for his web of lobbying deals and business ties with foreign governments — including the Kremlin.

His son, Michael G. Flynn, has also been roped into the federal investigation because of his role in his father’s lobbying work.

It’s unclear how much the Flynn family is shelling out for its legal defense.

But Flynn has a long history of lucrative government and private sector deals.

In ethics forms filed for his White House position, Flynn listed more than 20 consulting and speaking fees that were each worth between $ 10,000 and $ 90,000. He also listed a $ 125,250 consulting salary for Adobe Systems Inc. and a $ 827,055 salary with bonus for his Flynn Intel Group consulting firm.

In 2015, the state-run Russian TV network RT paid Flynn more than $ 45,000 to speak at its tenth anniversary gala, where he was seated at the same table as Russian President Vladimir Putin. His son accompanied him on the all-expense-paid trip to Moscow.

Flynn’s financial ties to foreign governments have been a major focus of the Trump campaign investigations.

His donations page says it will only accept funds from U.S. citizens and permanent residents.

“Any donations that are identified as originating with foreign nationals will be declined or refunded,” it says.